Reviews Gwen Kozlowski

The WOW List is a collection of the best trip-planning destination specialists around the world, based on Wendy’s rigorous testing and vetting of them as a traveler and journalist, and based on feedback from her well-traveled readers. Here is proof that The WOW List works.

The reviews below are from real travelers who’ve taken trips that were arranged by Gwen and monitored by Wendy.

Our perspectives of the places we visited were authentically enriched...

Shannon Howard | October 31, 2018

Shannon Howard and her husband on Goat Mountain, near Salzburg, Austria

For our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, we considered booking a Danube river cruise (as we have immensely enjoyed river cruising). After perusing several cruise lines’ itineraries, I wished we could combine elements from each cruise to create the perfect anniversary trip. Following an initial phone conversation with Gwen, I realized it was possible to design a land trip, based out of Prague and Vienna, that could include all our “must haves,” from touring Lobkowicz Palace and the Jewish Quarter in Prague to climbing the 343 stairs to the roof of St. Stephen’s Cathedral, to biking along the Danube in the Wachau Valley, to seeing The Sound of Music highlights in Salzburg. Because we would be “in port” all the time, we could also add evening ballet and symphony performances, plus a romantic anniversary dinner at a top-rated Viennese restaurant.

After corresponding for several months with Gwen and Lori, I felt confident that we had finalized every last detail of our dream itinerary. But what I didn’t fully appreciate was that Gwen could provide the perfect ingredient that no amount of my researching and selecting sites could provide—and that was our private guides.

In Prague, Kamila candidly shared details about her childhood under communist rule. As we walked through New Town, she pointed out where her father stood as he witnessed the Russian tanks that entered their city in 1968. Kamila was expert at keeping us on task (with our ambitious site-seeing itinerary) without ever rushing us. She allowed ample pauses to soak in the architectural beauty, reminding us to “always look up and look behind” when we were admiring the scenery.

Our Viennese guide, Peter, provided in-depth historical context so that we could appreciate that “Austrians are not Germans.” Before beginning our biking adventure along the Danube, Peter took us along charming back streets to view centuries-old buildings in Krems, his childhood home. Our visit inside the church in Durnstein seemed especially intimate when Peter revealed he was married there. Peter provided a local lens to his Austria so that we felt a little less like tourists and more like guests.

After a vigorous Fraulein Maria public bike tour in Salzburg, we were hoping for a lazy afternoon. Our guide, Michaela, streamlined our previously scheduled car tour to achieve a visually stimulating, yet low-key, route through the Lake District. We especially enjoyed gorgeous (and tranquil) views atop “Goat Mountain” and an impromptu stop at a local shop in St. Gilgen, where we conversed with the jovial store owner before purchasing locally made goods (including salt and pumpkin seed oil). Knowing we’d appreciate a view of the church in Mondsee, Michaela squeezed in this final stop—but not before calling the restaurant to push back our dinner reservations.

Our perspectives of the places we visited were authentically enriched by Kamila, Peter, and Michaela. We’re grateful that Gwen and Lori arranged for us to tour with knowledgeable, personable, and genuinely dedicated guides.

Wow: what an array of wonderful musical performances

William and Susan Duncan | October 22, 2018

We explained in our first phone conference with Gwen that we wanted to hear some fine classical music in and around Vienna. Gwen assembled information on what was available in October so we could select the performances that interested us and the dates for our travel. We selected a couple of symphonies at the Musikverein, a string octet at Karl’s Church, a piano recital in the crypt of St. Peter’s church, and the Sunday mass at Hofmusikkapell that featured the Vienna Boys Choir and Schubert’s Mass. Gwen and Lori got us all the tickets with favored seats. We also indicated an interest in hearing Gregorian chants and they arranged for us to hear the monks sing the midday service at Heiligenkreuz Abbey near Baden (combined with a personal tour of the Beethoven Museum). Wow: what an array of wonderful musical performances in an array of special and varied venues, all wrapped into one week!

Gwen and Lori also led us into other great experiences. For food, they advised us on restaurants and signed us up for a personal foodie tour by an accomplished and published chef with a hands-on lesson in making apple strudel. For wine, we were driven out to taste and learn about special white wines in Wachau on the Danube. For art, we got a personal tour of the Belvedere Museum and, together with an excellent gourmet dinner in the cupola hall of the Kunsthistorisches Museum (Fine Arts Museum), a personal tour of the Curiosities collection by a member of the museum’s Education staff. For sport, they got us prized arena-level seats to watch the Lippizaner horses perform at the Spanish Riding School, followed by a personal tour of the stable, exercise ring and tack room where we came literally eye-to-eye with the horses.

But a fundamental value for our trip came from spending time and conversing with the outstanding guides and docents and chauffeurs during our personal tours. Each was engaging and knowledgeable. Each was respectful of our impaired walking ability. Each shared personal experiences and insights with us about their lives and current life in and around Vienna.

Outstanding.

We had a number of extraordinary experiences planned by Gwen

Deena Altman | October 20, 2018

Gwen and Lori were excellent trip planners. They really know intimately the area we traveled to, Budapest, Vienna, and Prague. We had amazing tour guides and what was really jaw-dropping is that everything went as planned….at every new place we were greeted on time by our new guide or picked up by the driver to take us to the next region or next experience. The vehicles were first class, comfortable and always equipped with water and snacks. A map was always provided in each city. Loved the handy spiral booklet they created for the itinerary. And the guides spoke very highly of Gwen and her team as well. And we had a number of extraordinary experiences planned by Gwen that were wonderful and better than we expected. Thanks, Gwen and Lori!

Flawless planning and documentation

Joseph Hirko | October 11, 2018

Gwen and her team were amazing. From the flawless planning and documentation of the trip to follow-up during the trip. The hired great guides, suggested amazing restaurants.

Our trip was seamless and effortless thanks to Gwen

Judy Holt | September 25, 2018

We informed Gwen that our focus on Vienna was history. She provided a guide that took us to museums, palaces, areas of government that really satisfied our travel request. Our trip was seamless and effortless thanks to Gwen and Lori. Prior to our trip she provided pages of restaurant suggestions and was willing to help with any request we might have had.

She helped educate us that verified home rental options were rare in Montenegro

Chris Kloes | August 12, 2018

Gwen and her team helped us with several bespoke excursions during our recent trip to Dubrovnik, Croatia. Gwen was really helpful with information about accommodations early on in our trip planning — we wanted to stay in Montenegro in a rental property and she helped educated us that verified options home rental options were rare in Montenegro and recommended staying in Southern Croatia instead. This was really helpful advice and allowed us to solidify our plans around Dubrovnik, where we eventually found a truly lovely property to rent.

They organized 2 local excursions from Dubrovnik. One to a local winery and one to Montenegro. They both went very well. Our winery trip was local and super delightful. We thoroughly enjoyed the trip. Our excursion to Montenegro was similarly wonderful. It was a bit longer than we expected but we saw much of the small country and were happy that we did it. We were surprised by lovely things along the way, such as the amazing Our Lady of the Rocks, a small church with super interesting and beautiful artifacts on a man-made island that took over 200 years to build. Our guides and drivers were knowledgeable, flexible, and wonderful throughout.

The most amazing, magical, seamless experience of my life

Bernadette Feeney | August 8, 2018

Honestly, I don’t know where to begin. Gwen created the most amazing, magical, seamless experience of my life. She is truly brilliant, astute and intuitive. Every single detail she arranged was perfect. I am emotional writing this as I am remembering the pure joy my son and I experienced together on this trip because of Gwen. Our hotels were amazing, we both fell in love with Berlin, Vienna, and Prague through the most exceptional guides we had whom we absolutely adored, each and every one. Everyone treated us with such kindness and dignity. I am beyond grateful to Gwen for literally orchestrating a dream come true.

Everyone was professional, knowledgable, helpful, and friendly

Kimberly Miller | July 21, 2018

We had a wonderful time in Dubrovnik and in Montenegro. Everyone was professional, knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly. Our driver, Ilija, was outstanding. We were thankful to be with him all three days. He knew the perfect spots to stop for photos and helped avoid traffic. Our half day walking tour guide in Dubrovnik on the first day helped us see everything we hoped to see in the walled city and gave us great historical information. On the second day, Aleka was the best! She was with us for a full day tour of Perast and Kotor. We learned so much and saw so many beautiful sights. Aleka had vouchers prepared for entry to every sight and also recommended a delicious restaurant for lunch. We loved the entire trip.

Wendy's trip specialists score again!

Jan Heininger | July 22, 2018

In May 2018, my husband and I spent 2 1/2 weeks on a self-drive trip around Slovenia and Croatia arranged by Gwen. We aren’t cruise people and most who go here do so on cruise ships. A couple of years ago, we found Gwen who proposed a better way — at least for us–than the typical cruise ship stopping along the coast. Gwen is a Wendy expert for Central/Eastern Europe. For a variety of scheduling reasons, we worked with Gwen over a couple of years. We started with Gwen’s pre-planned tour called “Ultimate Self-Drive Croatia & Slovenia: A Private, Historical and Cultural Self-Drive Tour of Zagreb through to Dubrovnik, with private guides opening doors along the way.” Using an already planned itinerary generally has little appeal to us but this did. Driving ourselves would allow us to see the countryside, not just the coast. It seemed well thought out (remarkably so, it turned out). The stops made sense, the hotels were the kind we like, the allocation of time with guides and free time seemed reasonable, and the price was right. Of course, we tinker with everything and opted for upgraded hotels and a few additional days that sent the price up. But we ended up getting what we wanted.

Frankly, we were amazed at how well it worked out. Gwen’s guides were superb; the hotels were terrific; the restaurant reservations she had made for us were spot on (and we had one of the best meals we’ve had in the world at Restaurant Monte in Rovinj, which she directed us to). The itinerary was great though, in retrospect, we wish we’d spent even longer in that unexpected jewel of a country — Slovenia. Gwen’s GPS with all our stops and possible side attractions already pre-set made driving (and even parking for the hotels) easy; the unexpected free loan of a Croatia cell phone was a bonus that got used far more than we expected. Gwen was always accessible and her on-the-ground person in Croatia, Nastasa, was only a phone call away. We made a major change along the way by deciding to add in Bosnia but that didn’t phase Gwen or Nastasa at all and a terrific guide was put at our disposal.

Gwen is our 14th Wendy Perrin expert who’s planned a trip for us. This is the first time we’ve used a base itinerary that was already figured out. And yes, we tinkered with it. But we were very impressed by how well thought her self-drive itinerary was. She knew just how much time to allot to guided vs. free time, what were the most important places for us to spend time, what lots of additional side trips ( pre-set in the GPS) we could (and invariably did) make, and how these two foodies could get the best possible meals in Croatia and Slovenia.

We had a great time. Wendy’s trip specialists score again!

Gwen came through with an excellent private guide

Mary Strauss | July 11, 2018

We got a late start planning this trip because we didn’t know when my daughters summer internship dates would be; so we were only a couple of months out with the planning. The main reason we worked with Gwen is that every request I sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau for a guide came back rejected and you can only work with their authorized guides. I am seriously hearing impaired so groups and headphones are useless to me. I also wanted my daughter to be able to ask questions if she found anything confusing. And this was the most important day of our Berlin & Krakow tour. Gwen came through with an excellent private guide and we came away with a deep but very heartrending understanding of the camps.

It was as if she was holding our hand throughout our entire trip

Anne Rogers | July 1, 2018

Thank you so much! You have helped us once again plan a perfect vacation that we will remember forever. This was a trip that was planned at the very last minute once we learned that two of our children could join us. We reached out to Gwen Kozlowski to see if she could possibly help us plan a trip to Hungary and Croatia. We did not make it easy on her as our trip was last minute, involved 2 teenagers, included a side jaunt of our own that we inserted, and the fact that we wanted to drive ourselves to get a true feel for the areas that we were visiting. Nothing was a problem for Gwen. Our accommodations were absolutely stunning- the restaurant recommendations were superb, and our guides could not have been better! Every detail was considered- at one point we had a little problem with our GPS (our fault) and Gwen had it addressed immediately. It was as if she was holding our hand throughout our entire trip. The highlight of our trip was a private yacht excursion to the islands in the Adriatic that Gwen recommended- it is truly a day that we will always remember. What an amazing trip! Our thanks to you once again for your wonderful recommendation of Gwen and her team!

There is so much to do in Berlin, and her choices were right on

Toni and Robert Ceisler | June 27, 2018

My husband and I just returned from a wonderful trip to Berlin with our granddaughter, who had just graduated from high school. Unbeknownst to us, she had taken a course in her senior year about the Holocaust and 20th-century German history – so she was ecstatic with most everything we saw, the most memorable being the room in Potsdam where the final agreement between the three powers was signed at the end of WWII. We had told Gwen that we were interested in the highlights of Berlin (Reichstag; Berlin Wall; Brandenburg Gate), possibly Potsdam and that we were of the Jewish faith and so would like to see some Holocaust-related sights as well. And we saw ALL of these things. The best of all was our guide, Jeanette. She knew EVERYTHING – from art to history to Holocaust, etc. She also was lovely, understanding of a teenager (as well as my husband’s bad knees) and flexible as needed. Gwen picked out the very best sites for us to see – and the hotel was perfect – location, view, breakfast! There is so much to do in Berlin, and her choices were right on. Many thanks.

We had a great week!

Thomas Noll | June 14, 2018

Gwen and Sylvia on her team were very receptive to our ideas and were also forthcoming with their own suggestions. We spent a week in Prague at the Augustine hotel, recommended by the travel agent. And, it was wonderful: excellent service, large room, good food both at breakfast and at dinner and perfect location for wandering around this beautiful city. And two of our days, we took guided tours; and our guides were wonderful, informative, educational, and very personable. We would definitely use them again; appreciated their willingness to work with us even though we were only going to be traveling for one week; and, we did not want to book tours for every day. They made wonderful suggestions about what we could do on our own. We had a great week!

Could not have been easier to plan

Elaine Patterson | June 9, 2018

My husband and I just returned from our third private trip with the Gwen’s team to Eastern Europe. This time we visited Tallinn, Riga, Vilnius, and Gdansk and just as before, it could not have been easier to plan or better to experience. We contacted Gwen Kozlowski just 6 weeks before we wanted to travel but Dasha and Gwen made it all happen. We exchanged some ideas on the itinerary and in no time at all, everything was confirmed. As always, they gave us great recommendations on what we should do and also adjusted for some special requests/interests. All 4 hotels were terrific, all the guides and drivers were excellent and even when we had a seriously delayed flight from Vilnius to Gdansk, Gwen’s representative in Poland contacted us, updated the plan, reassured us about timing, and adjusted seamlessly so that we did not miss a thing. Eastern Europe is fascinating and we can’t wait to visit some new places with their help. A fabulous trip, filled with educational and memorable experiences!

Terrific from our first email until we returned

Lauren Green | May 28, 2018

Gwen was terrific from our first email until we returned. She helped plan an excellent trip, the guides were terrific as were the drivers. The contact in Poland was responsive immediately when we had 2 issues with pickups. Gwen helped with reservations for hotels and meals even beyond the Poland portion of our trip. One of the important things was her quick responses and always making us feel our trip was important to her. I have already recommended her to several friends.

Wendy, thank you for providing your WOW List. I had always used a travel agent in Chicago who recently retired. We travel a great deal and do some trips ad hoc, but felt Poland and the important history made having guides important. Often, I use context tours, but when I contacted them, they said they do not do Poland and recommended I go to your website..it all worked out perfectly. Poland is a very emotionally straining trip, but I felt we had wonderful insight and experiences. Gwen must remain on your list.

We loved our local guides

Mary Ko | May 12, 2018

We loved our local guides…..they were wonderful. Our driver, in Tivat, was a professional basketball player who had traveled the world. He was so good with kids. Our guide in Belgrade was so great he helped me organize other outings and he was great with kids. The bread museum was so cool! The owners let us into their house to show my girls 3-day old kittens. It was so sweet.

Everything happened smoothly and seamlessly

Adam Amsterdam | April 9, 2018

Gwen Kozlowski planned and executed an absolutely amazing trip to Vienna and Prague for my family. During our first phone conversation, Gwen asked questions to understand how we like to travel (the type of hotel, things to do, the food we like, etc.), especially when it came to what would interest our 17-year-old son. I told her that our son is passionate about playing piano, particularly the music of classical and romantic era composers. Gwen put together an itinerary that included visits to Mozart’s and Beethoven’s apartments in Vienna, and a visit to the cemetery in Vienna where Beethoven, Schubert, Strauss, and Schönberg are buried. She also arranged for us to go to an exhibit that included one of Mozart’s original manuscripts. In Prague she included visits to a collection that included the original score to Beethoven’s third symphony, as well as access to Strahov Library that tourists typically only get to view from a distance – we got to wander among the stacks! We also got spray paint our “tags” on the famous Lennon Wall! Gwen paired us with fabulous guides who, by the time we left, felt more like friends than mere guides. One bonus was our guide in Vienna is from a musical family so she had unique insights into Viennese musical history. Gwen also recommended great restaurants and even made our dinner reservations before we left so we never had to worry about where to have great dinners. All in all, once our plane landed in Vienna everything happened smoothly and seamlessly. I would not hesitate to use Gwen again or to recommend her to anyone traveling to Central or Eastern Europe.

Took the stress out of the trip

Rhonda Press | April 2, 2018

1. The logistics were flawless. We had multiple airport/train pickups and drop-offs, some of them at unusual hours. Multiple restaurant reservations and hotel check-ins, multiple meetings with guides. Everyone they used was on time and waiting for us when we needed them. They made it extremely easy and took the stress out of the trip.

2. The hotel rooms we got were great – I realize we were the ones paying for them, but they clearly knew the properties and got us good rooms with great views.

We went to Prague in December. The guide provided was wonderful and helpful. The schedule was worked out reflecting our interests and the VIP tours were exceptional experiences.

The guide was excellent, interesting with great insights. Helped to skip the lines as well. Everyone was very responsive by email, even to random questions.

We could not have been happier

Rita Dunlay | January 10, 2018

We could not have been happier with our experience from the planning stage on. Gwen talked with us to find out our interests then arranged an itinerary and suggested restaurants that were perfect. All the travel arrangements from airport pickup to drop off were smooth with all the drivers there ahead of time. We want to give special credit to the guide Gwen arranged for our first day. Claudia was knowledgeable about the art and architecture and history of the Hapsburgs and managed to convey a sense of it all in a memorable way.

Thank you for recommending Gwen and her team.

Extremely responsive and knowledgeable

Mike and Molly Hartmann | January 7, 2018

Gwen and her team were extremely responsive and knowledgeable. We would highly recommend them.

Special experiences

Gini Meyer | December 18, 2017

Although Gwen only helped us with a day and one half in Budapest and in Prague bookending our Backroads bike trip, she was very helpful. She even helped me choose my hotels which I was booking on points. We had some special experiences, the wine district outside Budapest and visiting with the Holocaust survivor in Prague that we would not have had on our own. I would recommend Gwen without hesitation.

Responded quickly to questions

Sandra Horowitz | November 5, 2017

The guides hired by Gwen were all excellent, well-informed about history in each locale, personable, experienced and good communicators. Gwen’s team responded quickly to questions I had during the trip. We traveled in October 2017.

This historical and cultural tour was ideal.

Linda & Joe Rothman | October 14, 2017

Gwen Kozlowski crafted a five week itinerary that allowed my
wife and I to travel throughout Croatia and Slovenia and to get an overview of Bosnia &
Herzegovina. This historical and cultural tour was ideal. We had outstanding guides, the
same driver throughout the trip, excellent hotels, the opportunity to tour many wineries
as well as the chance to visit several islands by boat. We visited each of the places of
historical significance within these countries. Our in-country support was monitored and coordinated by Natasha Lovric who ensured that everything proceeded as planned. After all, the devil is always in the details and there were many arrangements on this trip and all were executed flawlessly. Special thanks for my birthday celebration. Unfortunately, we had to curtail our adventure for health reasons and we very much appreciated the supporting arrangements made by Gwen to get us home early. This is our 3rd lengthy trip planned by Gwen and each has exceeded our expectations. We highly recommend Gwen and her team for travel to the Balkans, to Eastern Europe, to Russia and to Scandinavia.

Are tops in customizing to meet the special needs and interests of their clients

Adrienne and Lou Lower | September 25, 2017

This is the second time that my wife and I have used Gwen and her staff. Our trip to Romania and Bulgaria (September 2017 for two weeks) was just as well orchestrated as our prior trip to Russia. Gwen and Silvia are tops in customizing to meet the special needs and interests of their clients. Their firm excels because they do not attempt to be all things to all people. Their specialization and expertise results in exceptional and flawless execution. Excellent guides, well thought out itineraries, good property selection creating unique experiences…..the real deal.

We could not have been more pleased. Highly recommended.

Our guides in both countries were phenomenal

Catherine Mathis | September 4, 2017

We had a wonderful trip to Poland and Austria. We expected to like Austria — we just stayed in Vienna — more than Poland but ended up loving the food and experiences we had in Warsaw and Krakow. Our guides in both countries were phenomenal — deeply knowledgeable, flexible and fun. We would highly recommend both countries.

Varied and interesting

Susan Hughes | August 8, 2017

Gwen did a great job with our trip, and we had a fabulous time. Her guides were excellent, and her hotels were varied and interesting. We liked that she had local contacts in each country, and her well-organized guidebook/itinerary was very useful. Her help booking the rental car and recommending concerts worked very well also. We booked our trip last-minute, and communication was a little spotty (I could tell she was very busy as we got into summer), but she absolutely came through in the end.

A unique, customized adventure

Louis Chiavacci | June 28, 2017

Utilized Gwen and her team for our recent visit to Lithuania and would do so again. My son and I had a unique, customized adventure which was well executed and benefited from the first-hand experience of Gwen and her team. We would utilize her again and recommend to others.

Able to help us plan and maximize our time

Marsha Friedli | May 25, 2017

We used the recommendation of Wendy Perrin and used Gwen Kozlowski and Silva on her team for our three days stay in Berlin this past April/May. They were able to get us to the sites we wanted to see all the while working around our tight schedule and a major European holiday, May Day. Additionally, a surprise to us was that most stores and such are closed on Sunday as well. It was unfortunate that we could not change our travel dates so be aware of holidays in other countries before you book anything. However, they were able to help us plan and maximize our time with seeing the sites we wanted to see. Gwen and Silvia were able to provide us with hotel recommendations that were able to make use of our time in that the hotels were in the hub of ‘tourist/historic’ area. Easy walk to the Brandenburg Gate at sunset. Easy walk to the Island Museums, which were open on Sunday and the holiday!

Also, the guide that was arraigned for us was excellent. I cannot say enough positive things about Daniel. His excellent command of English, his in-depth knowledge of history and culture of Berlin and Germany were a highlight of our trip. He helped us navigate the subway, trains and other transportation as well. Some of the little-known facts about Potsdam and St. Catherine’s Palace, Daniel could relate them and provide insight that you just can’t get from a book. And for me, Daniel was able to fit in a stop at the wonderful department store KaDaWe. Fabulous!

I would definitely use Gwen and Silvia again. Silvia is a foodie like me so do schedule enough time to enjoy the food at KaDeWe. And Silvia was also able to get a reservation for us at the top of the Reichstag for lunch at the restaurant and enjoy the view on a beautiful spring day.

Never would have figured it out

Fred Schpero | March 28, 2017

Just got back from Prague (March 2017). It was only one day yet Gwen was to put together a program that fit our needs perfectly. We were at a conference in Wroclaw and on our own, planned a visit Auschwitz on our way to Prague. Even though we had not hired Gwen for that portion of the trip, she made several suggestions on transportation and lodging that we found invaluable – and never would have figured it out on our own (or at least not nearly as well). Thanks again Gwen.

Using a WOW trusted travel advisor changed our experience.

Emily Deadwyler | October 23, 2016

Gwen and her team were amazing. She listened to what we wanted (and did not want) and delivered beautifully. The hotel locations and quality were just what we asked for. The guides Gwen recommended were the absolute highlights of our trip. They brought our destinations, Vienna, Prague and Durnstein to life. The planning and logistics were flawless all the way down the small bound book with day by day itinerary sent to us in advance and the GPS with all of our designations and potential side trips pre-programmed. She thought of everything! Two pieces of advice. 1) Ask Gwen and her team to send you concert and dinner options and recommendations *early* in the planning and then make reservations or get tickets for at least one night in each city. Gwen will send you a great (invaluable) restaurant lists for each city and will make restaurant reservations. Don’t wait. 2) Be prepared for tipping. Gwen will send you recommendations via email but this was not part of the printed itinerary. It took us a day or two to figure out where the information was.

Using a WOW trusted travel advisor changed our experience. We weren’t just tourists looking at a place. We experienced and learned about our destinations. We have already booked a second trip ( to a different destination).

An "insider" visit to the Wachau and Kremstal wine region

Lynne Barnard | October 20, 2016

We had very specific requests about our trip and one of them included an “insider” visit to the Wachau and Kremstal wine region in Austria. Our guide, Martin was a gem. He was flexible to move around our original tour dates to accommodate visits with specific vintners and winery owners. With a wealth of information about the wine region and his personal friendships with vintners, he was a delight to tour with. Gwen was also able to arrange first rate seats at the ballet in Vienna and all of her hotel and dining recommendations were excellent. Can’t wait to go back…

Simply the best!

Lisa Rosenfeld | May 11, 2016

My husband and I travelled to Budapest, Vienna, and Prague the last 2 weeks of April 2016. This was our 4th European trip with a Wendy Perrin travel specialist and Gwen Kozlowski and her team were simply the best! I contacted Gwen through Wendy’s link back in November and was shocked that she actually remembered speaking with me 5 years before when we first thought we would take this trip and had kept our details available for my call back. This is the kind of organization and attention she gave to the planning of every moment of our trip.

Gwen is involved in every step of the planning process, although she does use assistants, she reads every email that her office receives, interjects when needed, and is always available to answer any question. Initially, we spent several weeks going back and forth about which cities to visit in the allotted time and the order in which to see them. Gwen was great in sorting this out for us because we originally wanted to incorporate a stop in Poland and decided (with her gentle guidance) that this would be too crazy given our 2 weeks of travel time.

What impressed us the most about Gwen is that she really listened to what we wanted to get out of our trip, our likes and dislikes, and incorporated (or didn’t) those items in both her suggestions for our itinerary and hotels. Additionally, she selected our tour guides for their particular expertise based on the things we expressed interest in – history, architecture, wine, etc. Although she recommended tours and experiences she’d used before, our trip was totally tailored to our interests. Her guides, drivers, special experiences, hotels and restaurant recommendations were all fabulous. What was especially appreciated was the way that our touring and free time was scheduled so that we never felt overwhelmingly exhausted. For example, when we were picked up at the airport in Budapest we were delivered to our hotel and didn’t have anything scheduled until the next day. This gave us time to nap, shower and enjoy an evening stroll and leisurely dinner which was very rejuvenating after a long flight. All we needed to do to make this a trip of a lifetime was board our flight and show up at the appointed times.

Our trip was totally stress-free, and that says a lot about Gwen and her team! The more information you can give Gwen about what you want to get out of your trip, the better it will be, and don’t hesitate to ask for changes if what she drafts for you isn’t exactly perfect. We will definitely use Gwen again when we go back for our tour of Poland.

The trip was beyond words for us

Marc Telio | January 18, 2016

My son and I are both history buffs, and for a quick father-son bonding trip, we decided to learn about WW2 and to immerse ourselves in Krakow and Berlin – with the guidance of Gwen and her team. We visited Krakow for two nights and Berlin for three nights, with day excursions out of the city to see Auschwitz (from Krakow) and Potsdam from Berlin. Aside from the flawless operations, everything went without a hitch, the trip was beyond words for us. Visiting the sites and learning firsthand about the history was huge, and of course the content itself was moving. Everything from the hotel selection, itinerary planning, guide selection and all of the little details gave us just what we were hoping for…a 6-day history lesson executed with style! Specifically, their guides made it a spectacular trip as we were in the presence of true experts, historians and professional hosts. I highly recommend Gwen and the teamfor any journeys in the regions where they operate. It was life-changing. Thank you Gwen!!

We would definitely work with Gwen again

Brian Rose | January 2, 2016

Gwen and her team were wonderful to work with. The trip went so well. All of the guides and drivers were on time, were so knowledgeable and made the trip so enjoyable. We would definitely work with Gwen again and would highly recommend her to others.

I highly recommend Gwen and her team

Amy Parks | November 12, 2015

Gwen and her staff were fantastic, patiently crafting our wonderful vacation to Krakow, Prague and Budapest in October, 2015. Gwen’s prompt and thorough response to phone calls and emails makes you feel like you are her only client. Our itinerary, accommodations and guides were all top notch. I highly recommend Gwen and her team!

Everything was SEAMLESS

Randi Barron | November 1, 2015

We just returned from our trip to Warsaw, Krakow, Prague, Vienna, & Budapest. I found Gwen through the WOW list, and we could not be happier with our experience. I had detailed interaction with Gwen in planning our trip, and she and her team came up with a fabulous trip. We had a few uniquely arranged experiences in every location. The guides were friendly, personable, knowledgeable, and spoke English perfectly. Beyond the guides, there was also great in-country support with her contacts that responded to some changes we wanted to make as well. They were all flexible and responsive to our requests. We loved our hotels, not big chain properties but pretty places with nice sized rooms, fitness centers, and very good service. Gwen suggested great restaurants and truly, as “foodies”, we were thrilled with the restaurants that were suggested and chosen. Everything was SEAMLESS and great and I recommend Gwen VERY highly!!

WOW! Wow is right on spot

Jacqueline & Bart Cox | October 31, 2015

WOW! Wow is right on spot to describe our Austria trip planned and handled by Gwen Kozlowski and her team from October 15 – 26. From the beginning, our needs were all taken into account, including working within our budget, and more importantly, making sure all accommodations, restaurants, sites chosen, and tours were as handicap accessible as possible. (This means wheelchairs were ready and available when needed, and a legal and a valid handicapped parking permit was obtained for the days when we were self-driving in the countryside.)

I told Gwen we are interested in food, wine, history, and art. Our itinerary reflected these interests perfectly. Her selection of accommodations was top notch and varied from the well-known, perfectly located, grand Hotel Sacher Salzburg with its congenial, yet professional staff to the beautiful, shabby chic B & B, Mooslechners Bürgerhaus, in Rust. However, my two favorites turned out to be the exquisite, historical Schloss Dürnstein, where we felt like royalty (and their decor, service, food, and entertainment was the basis for that). The most surprising was the flamboyant, funky, and perfectly located, in Museum Quarter, Hotel Sans Souci in Vienna. Surprising was the purple velvet, purple paint, and purple lighting, all very modern, yet baroque at the same time and the most beautiful indoor swimming pool and excellent spa.
So, obviously, Gwen knows her clients’ tastes, and she takes care of any problem immediately. We only had one bauble, contacted her, and it was resolved in less than two hours. She has some serious stroke in Austria!

Our private tours and excellent guides were the highlights of the trip. Both my husband and I agree that our favorite experience on the trip was with Martin, a third generation member of a local winemaking family, who was able to take us to the incredible Nikolaihof Winery in the Wachau Valley above the Danube which produces my favorite Grüner Veltliner wine. We toured the unpicked grapes in their vineyard, their winemaking facility, the beautiful and historical cellars, and met the family at lunch on site. The family matriarch sold and autographed her latest cookbook (available in German or English) to me. My husband also really enjoyed the walkability, friendliness, and history of the town of Salzburg. Other special places not to be missed were the Melk Abbey, and the Catholic Cathedral on the grounds of the State Psychiatric Hospital in Vienna. And, I can’t leave out our wonderful wine tasting without mentioning the kind and generous visit with the winemaker, Heidi Schröck in Rust. We have already figured out how to buy both her wines and those from Nikolaihof here in the states.

Two services especially added to our trip. First, were the daily restaurant recommendations and reservations. The food was invariably good, and there was a lot of variety in the food and style. We did cancel several nights and just caved into street food. Our two favorites were Carpe Diem Finest Finger food, which reflects the current food scene in Salzburg, and Vestibul in Vienna where the famous owner/chef made sure we had an all-around special experience from personally matching our wines to our food to autographing and selling me his cookbook. The second service was the provision of the pre-programmed GPS for our rental car. The mere touch of a button got us to every hotel, restaurant, tour site, etc. Big help and stress reducer!

We would highly recommend Gwen. A great travel experience.

Would recommend highly

Jon Shanser | October 9, 2015

We used both Alex and Gwen for this trip to Eastern Europe and they were very helpful in planning our trip. I would not hesitate to use them again and would recommend them highly. The order they set to see the cities we visited was perfect and the hotels they picked were terrific, as were their guides.

I recommend her highly!

Tom Ortwein | September 23, 2015

Gwen and her team did an awesome job coordinating a trip to Hungary, Austria, and the Czech Republic for us. It was a big trip, which included several biking excursions, visits to small towns where my grandparents lived, castles, gardens, concerts, museums, galleries, wineries, and even a strudel-making lesson! There were well-informed guides for each country, and good, dependable drivers available for those activities and days when we were on our own. We were blessed with excellent weather, and we got lots of exercise, which we needed to work off the incredible food. Gwen and her team were responsive and flexible in helping to plan and execute this complicated trip, and I recommend her highly!

A marvelous experience

Randall Sercombe | July 12, 2015

I recently returned from a trip to Budapest, Vienna, and Prague that was planned by Gwen Kozlowski and Lori Hinkle. My wife, daughter, and I had a marvelous experience. Gwen and Lori were helpful in the planning stages, both suggesting options and accommodating our requests. Our guides were good or (mostly) excellent; they not only showed the sights to us, but shared their cities and histories. Highlights were the private tour of the Strahov Monastery Library which is typically not open to visitors, and a visit to two family wineries in Durnstein. Our hotels in Budapest and Vienna couldn’t have been nicer and all our hotels were well-situated for our roamings. I would have no hesitations working with Gwen and Lori again.

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